Indrajit and his teammates were passing by a nearby shop, chatting casually among themselves.
Their laughter blended with the bustling sounds of the street as people came and went.
The afternoon was as ordinary as ever, with people going about their daily lives.
Yashoda’s gaze drifted toward one of the shops.
A girl stood in front of a vegetable shop, carefully picking through the fresh vegetables arranged in neat baskets.
After selecting a few, she handed them to the shopkeeper, who weighed them before telling her the price.
She nodded, took out her wallet, and paid with a gentle smile.
After placing the vegetables into a bag, the girl thanked the shopkeeper with a polite smile.
She adjusted the bag in her hand and turned to leave.
At that moment, Yashoda’s eyes lingered on her for a brief second before she quietly slowed her pace.
The girl walked calmly along the roadside, carrying the bag in one hand, barely acknowledging the crowd.
Indrajit and the others continued forward as well.
As the distance between the two groups gradually closed, Yashoda’s gaze remained fixed on the girl, as though she had noticed something unusual.
Indrajit noticed that she had slowed down and turned his head toward her.
“Yashoda?”
She did not answer immediately.
Her eyes remained on the girl walking ahead.
The others followed her line of sight, but they saw nothing out of the ordinary.
To them, she was simply an ordinary girl carrying a bag of vegetables.
“What is it?” Vaidehi asked quietly.
Yashoda remained silent for a few moments.
Then she spoke in a calm voice.
“That girl…”
She paused briefly before continuing.
“…her presence feels strangely familiar.”
Indrajit narrowed his eyes and looked at the girl once more.
She was simply walking down the street with a bag of vegetables in her hand, blending naturally into the crowd.
“I don’t sense anything,” he said.
“Neither do I,” Vaidehi replied, her gaze still fixed on the girl’s retreating figure.
Yashoda frowned slightly.
“I don’t know…” she murmured.
“Maybe I’m mistaken.”
She took a slow breath and looked away.
“Let’s go.”
The group resumed walking.
A few steps later, the girl stopped at a pedestrian crossing as the traffic signal turned red.
She quietly waited with the other pedestrians, holding the bag of vegetables by her side.
None of them noticed that Yashoda glanced at her one last time before continuing down the street.
The traffic signal turned green.
The pedestrians began crossing the road one after another, and the girl stepped forward with them at an unhurried pace.
Indrajit and his teammates continued in the opposite direction.
Within moments, the distance between them grew wider.
Before disappearing into the crowd, the girl turned her head ever so slightly.
For a brief instant, her eyes met Yashoda’s.
Then she looked away and continued walking, as though nothing had happened.
Yashoda instinctively came to a halt.
“…”
She turned around.
The girl was already disappearing into the sea of pedestrians, her figure gradually blending into the bustling street.
“Yashoda?” Indrajit called.
She remained silent for a moment before shaking her head.
“It’s nothing.”
Even as she said those words, an inexplicable feeling lingered in her heart—as though she had just crossed paths with someone she should have known.
Indrajit studied her expression for a moment but chose not to press the matter.
“If you say so,” he replied.
The group continued on their way.
Meanwhile, the young girl walked through a quieter lane.
She adjusted the bag of vegetables in her hand and looked at her watch in left hand for a brief moment.
“The time is 65:34!
Oh no, I’m late again.”
Then, she quickened her pace.
“If I get home any later, Maa is going to scold me again.”
A helpless smile appeared on her face.
Clutching the bag of vegetables a little tighter, she hurried through the quiet lane, weaving past a few pedestrians before disappearing around the next corner.
*
*
The group continued walking down the busy street.
Indrajit walked slightly ahead, hands in his pockets, while Vaidehi, Yashoda and Rohan followed close behind.
The earlier conversation had faded into silence, but the atmosphere between them felt a little heavier than before.
Vaidehi finally broke the silence.
“Yashoda,” she asked softly, “do you still think about that girl?”
Yashoda looked up.
“…Not exactly,” she replied after a pause.
“It just feels like something I can’t ignore.”
Indrajit glanced over his shoulder.
“You said she felt familiar,” he reminded her.
“Yes,” Yashoda said.
“But I can’t place where from.”
For a moment, none of them spoke.
The sound of traffic and distant chatter filled the gap between their words.
Then Indrajit exhaled lightly.
“Has anyone remembered what Rambika Senior said in central arena?”
None of them answered immediately.
For a moment, the group went silent.
The sound of traffic filled the gap between their thoughts.
Rohan finally spoke, scratching the back of his head.
“Rambika Senior… at the Central Arena?”
Vaidehi nodded slowly.
“She said something about ‘not trusting appearances during irregular resonance patterns,’ right?”
Indrajit’s expression changed slightly.
“…Yeah.”
Yashoda looked between them.
“You think this is related?”
Indrajit didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes narrowed as he looked ahead at the crowded street, as if trying to connect invisible threads.
“I don’t know yet,” he said at last.
“Just let me remind you again.”
Vaidehi folded her arms.
“Again?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
Indrajit slowed his steps slightly, his gaze still fixed ahead.
“I mean the exact wording,” he said.
“Not just the meaning.”
Yashoda frowned.
“Why is that important now?”
Indrajit exhaled.
“Because something about that girl… and this feeling… it matches the same pattern Rambika Senior warned us about.”
Rohan tilted his head.
“So you’re saying we missed something during the announcement?”
Indrajit nodded once.
“Maybe we didn’t fully register it.”
For a moment, the group fell silent again, each of them trying to recall.
Then Indrajit spoke more slowly, as if replaying the memory.
“Rambika Senior said…”
*
*
*
In Aetherion Nexus Universe—
The kingdom was known as Valerion.
The royal palace stood in quiet luxury.
Golden pillars lined the grand chamber, their surfaces etched with ancient patterns that caught the light like frozen fire.
Sunlight filtered through tall stained-glass windows.
In a hall, a Princess sat quietly in a chair.
She was dressed in a plain silk under-robe, her long black hair cascading down her back like a dark river left untouched.
Around her, several servants were decorating her with careful precision—some holding jeweled pins, others carrying embroidered fabrics, silk ribbons, and ornaments that shimmered faintly as if they had their own heartbeat.
“Gently,” one maid whispered, adjusting the fold near the Princess’s shoulder.
A third knelt by her side, arranging the hem of the outer robe so it would fall perfectly when she stood.
The Princess watched her reflection in the polished floor beneath her.
calm.
unreadable.
Almost distant.
Yet there was something about her silence that made the entire room feel more tense than any spoken command.
A servant hesitated, then carefully asked,
“Princess Urvashi… do you feel comfortable?”
The room went still for half a breath.
Even the air felt like it was waiting.
Her gaze remained lowered, resting somewhere between the reflection and the marble beneath it.
The silence stretched—not uncomfortable, but deliberate, like the room itself had paused to understand her thought.
Then, slowly, she lifted her eyes.
Not toward the servant,
But toward the mirror in front of her.
There were two reflections, one was her and another was of another young woman.
Someone stood behind her.
Princess Urvashi remained seated.
Still.
Composed.
Her hands rested gently on her lap.
“Okay, you said you have travelled to multiple parallel universes, and asked the same question to each Urvashi?” She asked softly.
The mirror in front of her reflected everything perfectly.
Including the young woman standing behind her.
Two Urvashi were there—
One was dressed as a princess,
And another was in modern clothes.
Princess Urvashi asked in the same calm voice.
“Urvashi, I don’t know why you’re asking this, but my elder brother is alright.”
The atmosphere remained peaceful.
Urvashi kept looking at Princess Urvashi from behind.
Then she said in a steady voice.
“Thanks for sharing this information!”
“Urvashi, y’know Nexarion Universe’s Urvashi was telling me that she wants a duel with you.” Princess Urvashi said.
Urvashi remained silent, her gaze fixed on the Princess Urvashi.
Princess Urvashi continued looking at Urvashi’s reflection in the mirror.
Then she considered—
“We all know that you’re exceptionally strong.
Especially in raw strength, your strength is unbeatable.”
A pause—
“But that young woman is so excited to fight with you.”
Then she let out a small laugh.
Servants were doing their works very well.
All were surrounded princess Urvashi.
Some were doing makeup, some dressing her, etc.
Urvashi’s expression didn’t change.
She said only a few words.
“She can participate in the Multiversal Competition.”
Then she turned her head slightly.
Something broke in her perception.
“It means, those feelings were right.
It’s an ongoing web novel, but if someone is currently writing this web novel…”
Something instantly clicked on her mind.
Her expression changed abruptly.
“ASHA DIDI.”
She whispered to herself, but it was audible to everyone nearby.
“Huh, Asha Didi…?” Princess Urvashi asked in confusion.
“Can she stand against her?”
Urvashi shifted her eyes toward her from behind.
“Nothing, I’m going to my universe.”
“Okay, come later!” Princess Urvashi chuckled.
Two words escaped Urvashi’s lips before she disappeared.
“Web Novel.”
Some feelings arrive without explanation and leave the same way.